The Bengals opened with six straight wins and went on to post an 11-3 record, their best regular-season mark. The Bengals qualified as the AFC wild card team for the playoffs, but they lost to Oakland, 31-28, in the playoffs. Ken Anderson won his second NFL passing championship. A serious blow was the loss of defensive tackle Mike Reid, who retired at age 26 to pursue a career in music.

The Bengals racked up 34 first downs in their 33-24 win over Buffalo at Riverfront Stadium on Nov. 17 and matched that total Dec. 7 at Philadelphia in a 31-0 victory. The 34 first downs stand one shy of the single-game franchise mark of 35.